Some thoughts regarding my picks:
New England Patriots -9 (-105)
Betting on the Patriots last season was quite lucrative, as they were 13-3 ATS during the regular season. They added Cooks in the offseason, who can really spread the field. Not worried about the Edelman injury, because they've always had a "next man up" mentality. The Patriots are going to steamroll opponents this year, similar to the 2007 version. The Chiefs didn't really make any significant additions in the off season. Mahomes may be the QB of the future, but Alex Smith is still their QB for the time being. The game may be close in the first half, as Andy Reid is known to do well with extra time to prepare, but as always, the Patriots will make their adjustments at HT, and will start to pull away in the 3rd quarter.
Philadelphia Eagles -1 (-110)
There are a lot of question marks regarding the Skins offense this year. I think they will start off slow, as they have a new OC, and they lost DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Their run game is still suspect, and so is their defense. The Eagles made some significant upgrades at the skill positions, and I think their defense, which was pretty stout last year, is even going to better this year. I like the fact that the Skins have won five in a row in the series, which means the Eagles are due.
Cleveland Browns +9 (-115)
The Browns are not going to be as bad as everyone thinks. Kizer has looked really good in preseason. They are a well-coached team, and have a lot of promising good young talent. The Steelers have been really bad on the road the past couple of years, Big Ben especially – just look at his road splits. 9 points is just way too many points to be laying on the road against a division rival. I won't be surprised if the Browns win outright.
Los Angeles Rams -4 (-110)
There's really not a lot to say here. Luck is out, which means Scott Tolzien is starting. The Colts had the 30th ranked defense last year, and they'll be missing their best CB Vontae Davis for this matchup. The Rams have one of the best defensive lines in all of football, which doesn't bode well for the Colts weak offensive line. What good is to have a franchise QB, but no line to protect him? Hence why Luck is injured. The Rams are going to be a lot better on offense this year. Sean McVay is an offensive genius, and Goff looked good in preseason. Goff and rookie receiver Cupp have shown some chemistry, and if Watkins can stay healthy – this could be a dangerous Rams team.
Still looking at a few other games, so I may have more picks later in the week. BOL to everyone this year!
